Friends of cottage should pony up to help save it

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In the past few weeks, I have read several articles regarding the funding of McDougall Cottage in Cambridge.

I was pleased to hear that the Region of Waterloo is considering reducing the funding of this heritage site. I am glad that regional councillors are making tough decisions to reduce funding to wants as opposed to needs.

That being said, Mayor Doug Craig and Coun. Ben Tucci have once again shown that they still do not get the idea that taxpayers cannot afford increases in taxes. They are signalling that they are prepared to spend hard earned tax dollars on wants as opposed to needs.

While I am inspired and proud of the heritage of Cambridge and this region, I do realize that at this time we do not have any available tax dollars for “wants”. Our infrastructure is crumbling, (millions of dollars leak from decayed water and sewer pipes), hospitals and schools are underfunded, use of food banks are at an all time high, charitable organizations such as United Way and Salvation Army are enduring significant shortfalls in their fundraising campaigns, family debt and taxes are at historic levels, unemployment in the region is very high and almost no one receives pay increases that keep up with inflation. Do you really think that funding for McDougall Cottage through taxation should be a priority?

To the Friends of the McDougall Cottage, I say pony-up people. If you feel that this heritage site is so important, put your money where your mouth is and work hard to obtain contributions from like-minded people instead of the city and region. To Mayor Craig and councillors, I say these are exactly the types of projects and programs that you are expected to identify and cut out of the budget in order to fund critical projects without increasing taxes.

I encourage anyone who feels as I do to contact regional and city council and let your voices be heard. There are too many people who would rather spend your tax dollars on their priorities instead of doing the right thing and consider the better good for the entire community.